Lakers offense struggles in another road loss to Wolves

The Lakers battled hard, but constant mistakes and blunders cost them the game against the Timberwolves Friday night.

The Lakers had their chances late but came up short to the Wolves on Friday, falling in Minnesota without LeBron, 97-87.

Rui Hachimura lost a late clutch rebound with the team down five, D’Angelo Russell had a pair of open 3-pointers fail to drop with the team down seven and Anthony Davis and Rui failed to corral a rebound with the team down eight all in the final three minutes of the game.

Anthony Davis would have to pick up some more slack without LeBron James. It wasn’t a particularly pretty night from him, though, as he ended the game with 23 points, 11 rebounds and an assist but was a -22 in his 36 minutes. Austin Reaves was back in the starting lineup and scored 18 points with six rebounds and five assists.

Max Christie pitched in with 15 points, five rebounds, two assists and a steal while starting in place of LeBron James. Dalton Knecht and Gabe Vincent had six points each off the bench. Christian Koloko may not have scored, but he did have three blocks, five rebounds and was a +15 in 11 minutes.

The Lakers were remarkably sloppy on the night, finishing with 21 turnovers with 11 of those coming in the first quarter.

Minnesota started the game off fast to lead by six while Los Angeles struggled to make a shot. The offensive woes continued for the entire team until Max scored five straight points to make it a one-point game.

The Wolves were shooting 50% from the field and kept scoring to put themselves up seven. AD was heating up, scoring on three midrange shots in a row. The Lakers piled on the turnovers, one of which came on a lazy inbounds pass. Making matters worse, D’Angelo Russell picked up three quick fouls.

At the end of the first, Minnesota was up 32-23.

The second quarter started with another turnover for LA, pushing their total to 12. Austin started heating up, scoring six points and cutting LA’s deficit to five. Minnesota looked awful starting this quarter, and the Lakers closed to within two.

Minnesota missed 12 shots until they finally scored on an and-1, extending their lead to five. AD's layup brought LA to within three, but the Lakers could not take the lead because the Wolves had an answer.

Neither team could establish a rhythm from behind the arc, with both only making two 3-pointers. The Lakers picked up their defense, blocking some shots and limiting their turnovers in the quarter to just three.

At halftime, the Lakers were down six.

The Lakers started the second half shooting better from behind the arc, drilling two 3-pointers. Former baby Laker Julius Randle was up to 17 points for the Wolves, their leading scorer. The Lakers were getting close again, nearly pulling to within two until Minnesota extended their lead to six.

Minnesota’s lead ballooned to 10 as Los Angeles struggled with scoring and defending. The Lakers missed a few wide-open 3-pointers that they desperately needed. The troubles for LA kept piling on and the lead was now 15 for the Wolves.

LA went on an important run to make it a 10-point game. Los Angeles’ defense was tightening up, with AD blocking two shots. They had pulled to within eight, but the Wolves again answered for a lead of 11 at the end of the third.

Austin splashed a 3-pointer to start the final frame. He knocked down another one and the purple and gold were within eight. Another 3-pointer, this time by Gabe, had the Lakers only down five, forcing a Minnesota timeout.

With six minutes left, LA started making mistakes with turning the ball over and missing five shots in a row. They fell into their bad habit of taking unnecessary shots, mainly 3-pointers, instead of playing smart basketball.

They were not making the right plays down the stretch and were committing atrocious mistakes with their rebounds.

Key Takeaways:

STOP TURNING THE BALL OVER!

Perhaps they could’ve taken the lead a few times if they had LeBron tonight.

The mistakes, carelessness, and turnovers cost them every time.

LA takes way too many 3-pointers that they don’t automatically make. They need to play smart basketball. You don't always need to throw up a three when, as a team, it’s been rough from behind the arc.

The Lakers’ next game will be Sunday against the Memphis Grizzlies at 6:30 PM PT.

You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.